Avoiding trailer trouble

Ideas Locker - Petrea Heathwood

Trailers are often the neglected element of the TS duo, yet an appropriate match between boat, trailer and vehicle is vital for making the most of the sailing. Greg Beanland is an engineer with experience in commercial vehicles and large fleets of light trailers. He also skippers the Victorian RL24 INMA. Here he shares some tips on correct trailer set-up.

“When checking your trailer set-up it’s important to ensure the yacht is loaded the way you would normally travel, remove any items not needed for sailing, then repack essential items in their proper place. This includes petrol tanks, water tanks and outboard.

”Take the trailer and boat to a weighbridge. Measure axle load and total weight unhitched from the car. The weigh bridge ticket gives you and any interested police proof of the weight and legality of your trailer. It is important to make sure the total weight does not exceed the aggregate trailer mass (ATM) on the trailer compliance plate mounted on the drawbar.”

When considering your set-up Greg says it’s important to inspect the trailer for things likely to affect sway, these are:

• Loose trailer gooseneck at the tilt mechanism (movement = sway).

• Loose connection of the bow into the winch post (ditto).

• Hull movement on the trailer (should have a 50mm load binder firmly holding the hull down aft).

• Rusted and frozen springs.

• Low tyre pressure on the car or trailer — car rear axle and trailer tyres should be near the maximum rated pressures printed on the
tyres (cold).

• Loose trailer wheel bearings.

• Misalignment of the axle — the measurements from axle to tow coupling should be equal (< 5mm difference) indicating the trailer is rolling straight behind the car.

• Misalignment of the car tow ball — measurements from tow ball to rear wheels should be the same (< 5mm difference).

• Hull should be straight and level on the trailer. Check position on the rear roller then look forward. (Measure from the gunwales to the trailer frame at the rear of the trailer.)

“The axle should not be overloaded, “ Greg said.

“The compliance plate gives GTM which is the rated axle capacity. Check the weighbridge ticket against the GTM. It is possible springs have been changed so also check the number of leaves on the springs.

“Generally the number of leaves in the springs indicates capacity; a five-leaf spring equates to 1000kg axle capacity, seven leaves to 1400kg.

”Drawbar weight should be 5-10 percent of the trailer weight; closer to 10 percent is desirable if the car is rated to carry the weight. Place bathroom scales under the hitch to see what it weighs.”

If the drawbar is too light, Greg said you may need to adjust the axle position as follows:

• Make sure the hull and winch post are where you want them. You may need to also consider the keel position on the rollers and other roller adjustments.

• If the drawbar is too heavy, consider redistributing load in the yacht aft to reduce the load. If shifting load inside is not enough, move the axle forward until the drawbar weight is correct (approx 5-10 percent as above).

• If the drawbar is too light, make sure you have the moveable loads where you plan to travel then shift the trailer axle back until the drawbar weight
is correct.

• After 100km check all nuts and bolts for tightness.

”If adjusting the axle position, check the alignment before tightening it and make whatever adjustments are required to brakes and wiring to keep it safe and roadworthy,” Greg said.

”With a bit of planning a novice can set up a car and trailer in two or three hours on a level driveway. If this all sounds a bit much, take it to a boat trailer place but you will be more confident if you do it yourself and understand the issues involved. Then when you’re checking the trailer 2000km from home, you will know what you’re looking at.

”One other hint while working on galvanised trailers — spray lubricant on the nuts and bolts to help free them up, and when in doubt replace them with new galvanised bolts. Lubricate the roller shafts as well to reduce friction on launching and retrieving.
I use Pure and Simple cooking spray for this; it’s handy for barbecues too!”

From The Galley

Easy Eggs Benedict

2 eggs per person

2 slices of bread or rice cakes per person

Ham

Hollandaise sauce

Buy ready-made hollandaise from the sauce section of a supermarket, then jazz it up to suit your taste. I use Maille brand with a little mustard. The key is to set this up so it is all ready to be served at once. Have water simmering in a pan ready to poach the eggs in while you toast the bread. Assemble buttered toast (or rice cakes) topped with ham, then add the poached eggs and drizzle sauce over.

Running a contour

When the fog comes down, one technique to keep out of the potential paths of bigger boats is to head for water that’s shallower than they can float in and anchor until the fog lifts. Areas where there is a gentle sloping bottom free of obstacles like reefs etc, may offer the opportunity of continuing your passage by sailing along a selected depth contour.

This is best done using the 15–25-degree zigzag method. After reaching the selected depth, steer along the contour as best you can. If the water deepens, swing back towards the contour by 15 degrees. When you get back to the depth you want to follow, swing 40 degrees to seaward (ie approach the contour at 15 degrees and depart at 25 degrees to it).

Check your position on a chart using a GPS if you have one aboard. Note that you are positioning yourself by a depth and checking it with the GPS.

Mug Minder

Peter and Leanne Newman from Devonport in Tasmania made these simple mug holders for their 11m Simpson cruising cat Plan Four. The holders are made from 100mm x 50mm PVC downpipe. These are 210mm long with 75mm-diameter holes and slots cut to suit the mug handles.

Brighten your night

The light output from many interior lights can be greatly improved by removing the cover over the bulb.
This halogen light in Talisman’s saloon gave an unpleasant dappled effect with the original cover. Tossing the cover has allowed much brighter and more even lighting.

Going surfing

• http://www.frugal-retirement-living.com/living-aboard-a-sailboat.html

• http://www.macnaughtongroup.com/living.htm

Two sites for anyone considering the liveaboard lifestyle. These folks detail how and why they did it, and offer hard-won advice to help you decide
if this is for you.